Chapter 45 Chapter 45 Ten Baskets of Charcoal. (Second Update)…
Such conversations were heard one after another around.
There was no other way. Linzhi's house was too small, and the kiln couldn't fit into the kitchen, so it had to be built in the yard. She roasted the duck for most of the day, and the aroma lingered for most of the day, so anyone passing by could smell it.
In the end, even the managers of Dongji Restaurant and Furongzhuang noticed the diners' discussions and sent their waiters to find out.
The two shop assistants bumped into each other as soon as they went out. Although the two families were rivals on weekdays, neither of them wanted to have a new competitor in the shop, so they discussed it and went to inquire together.
However, they encountered a problem as soon as they started working. The reason was that Linzhiji's shop was too small. They only hired a woman to wash dishes and vegetables, and there was not even a waiter to talk to.
The two were immediately in trouble. After thinking hard, one of them remembered that he had seen Song Jiaoniang being good friends with Yu Niangzi and Hua Niangzi, so he decided to go find the two of them to ask about it.
They first came to the drink shop, ordered some perilla drink and then asked about this matter.
"You've asked the right person!" Madam Yu served the two of them a glass of perilla drink. When she heard that they were asking about the Lin family, she immediately became excited.
The two waiters were delighted when they heard this, and subconsciously sat up straight and listened attentively.
Madam Yu spoke eloquently of Song Jiaoniang's family. She first praised Song Jiaoniang for her temperament and good temper, which were no worse than her own. She then praised Lin Sen for loving his wife and children, saying he could barely compete with her husband. Finally, she praised Zhi Jie'er for her ability. At the end, she sighed, "I wish I could have given birth to a daughter like this."
The two waiters were completely confused. As a cup of tea passed, they still hadn't found out anything.
One of them quickly ordered two cups of the most expensive Roselle drink before returning to the main topic: "Madam Yu, we wanted to ask what her shop specializes in, and if there's anything special about it."
"Oh, I was just about to start." Seeing this, Madam Yu happily talked about the food in Linzhiji. At the end, she described the visit of the fifth-rank official yesterday in a vivid way, as if she had witnessed it with her own eyes. The two servants were stunned by what they heard, and they still looked solemn as they left.
"A fifth-rank official from the Imperial College?"
"Could it be that this shop is owned by some noble person?"
"It doesn't look like it... You know this shop used to be the Liurong Restaurant, it's such a small place."
The two waiters, still suspicious, went to the pancake shop again. This time, they learned their lesson and bought the most expensive pancake in the shop right away. Only then did they inquire about Linzhiji.
"Don't be fooled. They are from outside and think pork is good stuff."
Hua Niangzi had seen several groups of diners today complaining that they were too late to eat at Linzhiji. She was feeling sour and couldn't help complaining when she heard this, "They rely on low prices to attract poor people to join in the crowds. It's like setting off firecrackers at the opening. It's all a bluff!"
"Mrs. Yu from the Keyin shop said that two fifth-rank officials came to Linzhiji shop last night, and just now someone from the Imperial College came to order food at noon."
"How is that possible!" Madam Hua subconsciously raised her voice, her voice so sharp that it was piercing.
It wasn't until she met the surprised gazes of several waiters that she realized she had overreacted. She smiled awkwardly and said, "Maybe you've made a mistake? I've noticed that the people coming in and out these past two days are all poor and down-and-out people. How could a fifth-rank official be so spoiled..."
The two waiters didn't ask any more questions, and shook their heads secretly after leaving the house: there were not many merchants on the entire street in front of the Dali Temple, and they were all in the same guild, so they were usually friendly. They didn't expect that Madam Hua would be so mean behind his back, calling him a "poor guy", a "foreigner", and a "down-and-out guy".
But Madam Hua forgot that, not to mention that most of the guys trying to make a living were what she called poor and broke people, what's more, most of the customers on this street were officials and runners from the government office, and most of them were "outsiders".
With Madam Hua's mouth, who knows how she'll offend others in the future!
The two returned to their respective homes and reported the news to their respective shopkeepers. Both shopkeepers were shrewd people and immediately made the decision: "Tomorrow morning you will line up and buy a roast duck."
"Ming, tomorrow morning?"
"Humph, with this aroma lingering all day, and we have no shortage of wealthy people here, there will probably be quite a few people waiting to buy roast duck."
The Linzhi family had no idea that they were being watched by so many people. Some people even planned to queue up in advance to buy roast duck. The couple were drooling over the two freshly-baked roast ducks.
“It smells so good…”
“This smells so good…”
"They're even more fragrant than the ones just now!"
"I've pretty much mastered the kiln, so I've just slightly adjusted the spice ratio." Lin Zhi smiled as she picked up the freshly roasted duck and walked into the kitchen. She hung one over the stove, letting the residual heat keep it warm, while placing the other on the chopping board.
Then Linzhi picked up the kitchen knife, turned it in her hand, and cut open the duck belly neatly. The scallion knots and soup instantly gushed out, and the aroma even stronger than before filled the entire kitchen.
Lin Sen and his wife were fascinated by the aroma. Their mouths watered, and they watched their daughter cut the roast duck into eight pieces and put them on the plate.
"Try it quickly." Linzhi pushed the plate in front of the two of them.
When the couple heard this, they quickly picked up a piece of steaming duck meat with their chopsticks and put it into their mouths impatiently.
The roast duck was freshly baked, its skin crispy and the meat tender, and it was very hot. Lin Sen was panting heavily, but he couldn't bear to spit it out. When it cooled down a little, he quickly chewed it.
Accompanied by a pleasant crisp sound, the duck skin breaks apart in the mouth, and the unique aroma of fat duck spreads on the tip of the tongue. The duck meat inside is firm and juicy. When chewing, the tip of the tongue can feel the fatness of the oil and the reserve of the lean meat. At the end, there is a hint of fragrance unique to charcoal grilling.
Lin Sen had previously thought that the roast duck that had come out of the oven earlier wasn't a failure, and that his daughter's expectations were just a little too high. But after taking a bite of this roast duck, he immediately changed his mind - what were those things before? This was the real roast duck!
Lin Sen ate four or five pieces before finally stopping, still unsatisfied. "No, no, no, no more! We have to save the rest. I just said I'd invite Chen Lang and Tao Lang to come and try them tonight."
"Eat it, it's okay." Lin Zhi raised her chin and gestured to Lin Sen to look at the one hanging on the stove: "Look, there's another one over there."
Lin Sen took a look and remembered that the last batch to come out of the oven were two roast ducks. He rubbed his hands with joy and said with a smile, "I must go to the liquor store and buy a pound of good wine. It will be perfect with these roast ducks!"
"That's good, we can have a drink tonight." When Song Jiaoniang heard this, she remembered what Chen Lang and Tao Lang had sent her this morning: "Oh, Madam Chen also sent three boxes of food, which I think are also suitable for drinking and snacking."
After saying that, she stood up and took the things out.
Mrs. Shen gave a complete set of silverware, two rolls of silk cloth, a basket of kumquats from Jiangxi, a basket of pomegranates from Heyin, and the two boxes of snacks in front of you: one box of preserved fruits and nuts, one box of cakes and fruits, and the other box of dried preserved and braised food.
"This braised food looks delicious, doesn't it?" Lin Zhi checked the time and called Lin Sen: "Dad, call a donkey cart. I'll go with you to get some wine."
"It's just a drink, I can do it by myself." Lin Sen was stunned for a moment, then quickly said, "It's a waste to call a donkey cart."
"It's not just for the sake." Lin Zhi shook her head and said with a smile, "I remember the charcoal shop is right next to the liquor store you often go to. I want to go and see the charcoal."
"Charcoal? Don't we have some at home?"
"Hmm... the taste of this charcoal grill is just average. I want something better."
Although Lin Sen didn't understand the connection between charcoal and roast duck, he knew his daughter's words made sense, so he nodded immediately and said, "Okay, I'll go get the donkey cart."
The father and daughter arrived at the liquor store. Lin Sen went in to get some wine, while Lin Zhi went to the charcoal shop next door. She glanced at the pile of charcoal inside and asked, "Is anyone there? Do you have any fruit wood charcoal?"
"Yes." The shopkeeper heard the noise and hurried out to answer: "Do you want jujube, pear, lychee, peach, walnut or cassia wood?"
"How much is a basket of cassia, pear, jujube, and lychee wood?"
"A basket of jujube and pear charcoal costs one hundred and ten coins, a basket of lychee charcoal costs one hundred and fifty coins, and a basket of cassia twig charcoal costs one hundred and eighty coins."
Lin Zhi raised an eyebrow. "The price of pear wood charcoal and jujube wood charcoal is the same? Then I want pear wood charcoal. Give me ten baskets."
"There are only three baskets of pear wood left."
"Okay, three baskets then."
The owner of the charcoal shop was all smiles and hurriedly called his employees to go to the warehouse in the back to move the charcoal.
When three baskets of charcoal were placed in front of him, Lin Zhi paid for them and suddenly said with a smile, "By the way, shopkeeper, your charcoal should be of good quality, right?"
"Don't worry, my lady. The charcoal in our shop is one of the best in Bianjing City."
"Oh?" Lin Zhi looked at the charcoal shop owner with a half-smile, then bent down and picked up a piece of pear wood charcoal from the basket. "I heard that pear wood looks ordinary and is cheap, but its material is special, so it is not easy to make charcoal."
As Linzhi spoke, the charcoal shop owner's face gradually changed, and beads of cold sweat slowly slid down his cheeks.
Lin Zhi seemed not to notice. He simply lowered his head and weighed the charcoal in his hand. He added, "If it's not fired properly, it's said that it won't be carbonized thoroughly and will go out halfway through."
"My family runs a food shop. Using this charcoal shouldn't cause any problems, right?"
After Lin Zhi finished speaking, the shop fell silent.
The charcoal shop owner froze in place, stammering and unable to utter a word. The clerk who had just finished moving the goods dared not breathe, and looked at the shop owner with evasive eyes.
Linzhi threw the charcoal back into the bamboo basket and tried to pick it up with his hands.
"Wait, wait!" the charcoal shop owner said hurriedly. He wanted to change his words and say that the clerk had taken the wrong goods, but when he met Lin Zhi's eyes, his thoughts immediately dissipated.
He forced a smile and said, "My dear, I will exchange three baskets for you. Three baskets of jujube wood, no, how about lychee wood charcoal?"
"Three baskets?"
"...Five baskets, no! Six baskets, six baskets will be fine, right?" The charcoal shop owner had a sad face and cursed himself for being short-sighted. Seeing that it was a young lady who came to his shop, he wanted to send away the three baskets of inferior goods.
Lin Zhi looked at the shopkeeper's painful expression and narrowed her eyes: "Ten baskets?"
The shopkeeper almost cried, but when he thought about how if these three baskets of pear charcoal were reported to the government, not only would he have to pay a large sum of money, but the reputation of his shop would also be ruined, he finally gritted his teeth and agreed: "Okay, ten baskets."
When Lin Sen finished getting the wine, he saw his daughter standing outside the charcoal shop with ten baskets of charcoal beside her.
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